Fountain applicator



ug 19 1958 s. E. EDELsToNE ETAL 2,847,690

FOUNTAIN APPLICATOR Filed Aug. l, 1955 IIIIIII. 4

Mmm, IIIIIIIIII @EME United States Patent 2,847,690 Patented Aug. 19, 1958 FoUNTArN APPLIcAToR Sigmund E. Edelstone and Wirt V. Dunlop, Chicago, lll.,

assignors to DupliaColor Products Company, lne., Ciricago, Iil., a corporation of Illinois Application August 1, 1955, SerialNo. 525,484

1 claim. (Cl. 15h-'139) This invention relates to a fountain applicator or fountain brush, and more particularly to `a device of the type in which a retractable applicator unit is carried in a nozzle of an applicator bodyand caused to be retracted automatically in response to threading of a closure cap onto the body.

For such devices, it has been proposed to embody in the cap a resilient plug adapted to `seal the tip of the nozzle when the cap is threaded home on the body. For providing the desired retraction of the applicator unit to prevent the bristles from thereby being cramped between the nozzle and cap, the cap has been provided with a pin member which projects longitudinally within cap from the closed end thereof, with the free end of the pin being adapted to penetrate the brush bristles and engage a rigid portion of the applicator vunit behind the brush. Threading the cap onto the body therebyl is intended 'to effect the desired brush retraction by pressure of the pin against the rigid portion of the applicator unit.

With such an arrangement, it has been found that the pin would sometimes fall ofi the rigid portion of the applicator unit against which it was engaging, effecting a jam between that rigid portion and the inside of the applicator nozzle, or otherwise causing undesired effects, particularly upon a continued rotation of the cap by the user.

Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a construction for maintaining the brush-retracting pin of such a device seated against the rigid portion of the applicator unit against which it bears, thereby preventing pin fall-olf.

Another object of the present invention is to permit wider tolerances of manufacture of the individual elements, and to permit wider tolerances of assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type described in which application of a cap onto the body is facilitated by guide means which guide the free end of the brush-retracting pin toward concentricity with respect to the common axis of relatively rotating parts.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the applicator and closure cap, the parts being shown in closed position;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation and with parts broken away, taken generally along the line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of the applicator, with the dispenser-brush assembly thereof being shown in a position extending operatively outwardly of the nozzle thereof;

Figure 4 is a somewhat enlarged transverse section, taken on the line IV--IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmental section of a portion of the applicator as shown in Figure 3, but showing an alternative bristle-carrying construction of the dispenser-brush assembly; and

Figure 6 is longitudinal cross-sectional view of an applicator of known construction, indicating somewhat exaggeratedly a jammed condition prevented by a construction according to our present invention.

As shown on the drawing:

The applicator or fountain brush 10 includes a container desirably in the form of an elongated barrel or body 12 having a hollow nozzle 14 projecting therefrom, a dispenser applicator unit 16 mounted in the nozzle and including a dispenser or applicator such as brush 18 adapted to project from the nozzle, and a closure cap 2li adapted to be applied to the body 12 to cover the nozzle lid and the applicator unit 16 and the brush 18 thereof.

The body 12 has a closed end 24, and a cylindrical side wall 26 providing a reservoir for containing the liquid to be dispensed. The nozzle 14 is press fitted into the mouth of the body and is shown as gripped frictionally by the body side wall 26, closing oit any communication between the liquid contained in the body 12 with the outside atmosphere except as permitted through the nozzle 14 by means yet to be described. The projecting end or tip 2S of the nozzle 14 is provided at its tip with an orifice 3d through which liquid is adapted to be dispensed via the hollow bore 31 and tapered valve seat 31a of the nozzle.

The applicator unit 16 has a brush-carrying means such as the cylindrical rod-like plunger or stem 32 slidably carried in the nozzle 14. An enlarged head 34 is provided at the forward end of the stem 32, and the head serves both as a valve plug seating on the tapered bore wall or seat 31a for sealing off the oriiice 3l)` and for carrying the brush bristles 18. A coil spring 3:6 sur rounds the stem 32, and has one end bottomed on a retainer ring 38 press fitted into a counterbore of the nozzle 14, and has its other end bearing against the head 34 to bias it into an orice-closing position` in which the bristles 1S carried by the head 34 extend through the orifice 30 to project outwardly of the nozzle 14.

The closure cap 20 has an end wall 4d having a recessed inner face 42 which receives a sealing plug d4. The plug d4, which is desirably made of a resilient material such as polyethylene, nylon or the like plastic, is adapted to engage the nozzle tip 28 to seal the orifice 30 when the cap is in the closure position. As shown, interengaging thread means 46-48 are carried by the nozzle 14 and by the cap 2d, respectively, to provide for application of the cap onto the nozzle to protect the same and to bring plug 44 into a tight sealing engagement with the nozzle tip 23 to prevent drying out of the liquid material to be dispensed by the applicator.

The cap 2t) carries means for effecting a retraction of the applicator stem 32 and bristles 13 upon inserting the cap onto the nozzle 1d. Asshown, such means includes a pin-like projection means 5t) extending longitudinally within the bore of the cap 2t). In a desirable form such a projection means comprises an elongated pin the head 52 of which is accommodated in a cap recess 54 between the plug 44 and the cap end wall 40, and the stem 56 of which passes through the sealing plug 44 and is held thereby in its desired longitudinal position coaxial with the bore o-f the cap. This arrangement provides means for engaging the stem or stem-head 34 behind the bristles i3, to effect a retraction of those bristles into a protected disposition within the nozzle 14 and thereby avoid damage to the bristles which might be occasioned by their being cramped over the nozzle tip 23 during assembly of the cap to the nozzle.

Figure 6 shows an applicator 10a with a. stem 32d having a stem-head 34d of a prior construction. In the event that the cap-pin 50 is introduced to the head 34d of such a device at or near the periphery of the most-forward surface 34e of the head 34d, the pin 50 can sometimes fall olf that surface 34e during the application of the cap to the nozzle and effect a jammed condition as indicated somewhat exaggeratedly in Figure 6. Several factors agu gravate the conditions under which a jam could occur and render it more likely. For example, the pin might be slightly cocked or otherwise held in an off-center condition by the resilient plug 44 in which it is held. Any deviation'from true concentricity of the pin and cap bore is aggravated and compounded by the rotation of the cap 20 as it is threaded onto the nozzle 14. Moreover, manufacturing and assembly tolerances often are additive, particularly in the instance of relatively rotating parts, as are here involved. For these and other reasons, an undesired jamming as indicated in Figure 6 may occur with a device of prior construction such as there shown.

According to the present invention, the stem-head 34 is provided with a guiding means such as the forwardly facing guide wall 60 which is tapered or dished to provide a flaring depression in the unit 16 forming a recess for guiding the pin 50 radially inward of the head 34 during application of the cap Z0 onto the nozzle 14. The wall 60 thus prevents any pin fall-off as in prior constructions described above, and co-operates with the thrust exerted by the pin 50 to cam the pin towards the axis of rotation of the cap. The wall or rim 60 has a slope sutiicient to provide a slip angle guiding the pin to the well or recess 61, an angle from 20 to 40 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the applicator unit 32 being preferred to insure radial centering of the pin in the recess. Thus, regardless of initial misalignment and non-concentricity of the pin 50 and the head 34 of the applicator unit, the guide wall 60 guides the pin 5@ toward the desired central position shown in Figure 2 as the cap 20 is threaded home onto the nozzle 14.

The guide wall 60 may be provided very economically. As shown in the embodiment of Figures l through 4, the stem 32 and head 34 are molded from a plastic material, with the wall 60 being formed as an integral surface of the head 34.

The modification 10b illustrated in Figure 5 may be substantially identical to the device shown in Figures l through 4, except that here the applicator 10b has a plunger or stem 32b whose head 34h carries a secondary piece such as the insert or plug 34C which carries the applicator bristles 18h and provides the guiding recesswall 60b corresponding to the wall 60 of the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4. Like that wall 60, the wall 601; of the embodiment of Figure 5 is adapted to guide the associated projecting pin radially inwardly of the head toward the centered position shown in Figure 2 as the cap Z0 is screwed home onto the nozzle. 1f desired the plug 34C can be made of material different from the head 34b to facilitate retention of the pin and to avoid pin damage. A metal plug could thus be used in a plastic head or vice versa.

From the above descriptions it should, therefore, be understood that this invention provides a new and economical means for preventing a jammed condition found to occur with prior devices, by effecting a guide of the associated pin towards concentricity of the relatively rotating parts and preventing pin fall-off from the head of 4 the applicator unit, and permitting wider and more economical tolerances of assembly and manufacture, all by novel means which offer many advantages over prior constructions.

Thus it will be seen from the foregoing descriptions of our invention according to two preferred embodiments, `considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, that our invention provides the desired advantages and characteristics, and accomplishes its intended objects including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention as described.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

A fountain applicator which comprises a fluid container having a hollow nozzle with a dispensing orifice at one end thereof, an internal valve seat in said nozzle adjacent said orifice, a substantially solid brush and valve unit in said nozzle adapted to receive fluid from the container therearound, spring means in said nozzle urging the valve of said unit against said internal valve seat to control fluid flow to the orifice, said valve having a closed bottom recess with an outwardly chamfered mouth di- J verging to the orifice when the valve is on said internal valve seat, the brush of said unit having bristles assembled in said recess and projecting from said unit to t freely through the orifice beyond the nozzle when the valve is seated on said internal valve seat, said brush adapted to f be depressed upon application of end load thereon to unseat the valve and permit flow of fluid from the container around the valve through the orice to the brush, a closure cap for said nozzle having an elongated side wall guided by the nozzle and an end wall for overlying the nozzle to seal the orifice thereof, an elongated relatively thin valve depressing pin in said cap extending from said end wall and terminating inside of said cap, said pin having a free end directed by guiding of the elongated side wall of the cap on the nozzle into said orifice to engage the valve, said chamfered mouth of the recess directing the end of the pin from the nozzle orice into the recess to engage the Valve and depress the brush and valve unit for retracting the brush into the nozzle in communication with the fluid of the container when the cap is applied to the nozzle, and said pin being longer than the length of the brush bristles to hold the brush away from the end wall of the cap whereby application of the cap to the nozzle will direct the free end of the pin through the orice and the chamfered mouth of the recess will thereupon direct the pin into the recess for retracting the brush and valve unit axially into the nozzle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 257,312 Gaynor et al May 2, 1882 953,316 Brown Mar. 29, 1910 1,365,131 Upton Jan. 11, 1921 2,686,925 Hempel Aug. 24, 1954 2,782,438 Wittnebert Feb. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 170,721 Germany May l2, 1906 280,036 Switzerland Apr. l, 1952 

